all the colours of the rainbow
by daughter-of-october
Summary: Characters: [Big Cast] # Summary: Life comes in many shades. # One-shot Collection
1. lights of your deserved fame, Kain F

**_lights of your deserved fame_**

**Character**: Kain Fuery

**Summary**: He has come so far.

* * *

He is merrily repairing another radio when a shadow falls over him and he looks the newly reinstated Lieutenant General Charlotte Llewellyn, Commander of the Western Headquarters and generally liked and admired for her reasonable decisions and her way to listen to her subordinates' concern before she went through with something.

But even more confusing than her presence is the plain white envelope she is carrying.

"Madam?" he asks as she stops in front of him and he is so happy that he can still speak.

"Second Lieutenant Kain Fuery?" she inquires as she allows herself a smile. "I am here to ask you to join the Western Special Forces. We lost our communication expert to Briggs a few days back."

He is surprised because he has expected that others like Hawkeye, Falman or Breda would be the ones of interest for the Western Special Forces because it is common knowledge that they have lost many valuable members of other headquarters along the last weeks but he has never expected to be faced with the decision to stay or to leave.

"Can I jump in for a moment?" the Colonel – no, the Major General – asks as he approaches them. "I fear that you have broken Fuery, madam."

But the younger man catches himself and smiles shyly at the woman. "I am sorry, madam, but-"

His superior's hand covers his mouth before he can finish the sentence and a moment later, he finds himself dragged into the files closet. "Sorry, Fuery, but I think that I should keep you from making a mistake," Mustang says with a warm smile. "Look: I admire your loyalty, really, but this is an amazing chance for you. Kain Fuery, you have the chance to be communication officer in the Western Special Forces. I am empathising this because you obviously forgot that this is what every single communication expert – you included – dreams of."

The young man stares at the ground. "But … you need me too, don't you?"

"Listen, I can count the amount of soldiers Llewellyn invited personally with my hands: General Armstrong, Lieutenant General Llewellyn who is also her son, the Brigadier Generals Tempest, Doctor Hamilton Force and Colonel Hamilton," the Flame Alchemist replied. "Oh, and Lieutenant Colonel Force was invited directly too. As your superior, I can only urge you to accept this chance because this is something really, really special and you deserve this."

"Why me and not Falman?"

"He is back in Briggs and happy there. Don't worry, Lieutenant, Hawkeye will keep an eye on me and WestCity is not the end of the world. Plus, Llewellyn is a decent superior. She taught Armstrong everything the Ice Queen knows – how to make sure that the subordinates don't betray you and everything. You will grow there."

"But … I still feel bad about this. I can't just leave to pursue a big career."

"Kain Fuery, you are among the most loyal officers I have ever met because everyone else would have long abandoned me – not that I could blame them for it. Anyway, you should accept this offer because knowing this kind of thing, there will be no second chance. So before you hate me and yourself in a few years, go out and tell her that you will join the Forces."

Kain Fuery looks at his commander before he slowly nods. "I understand," he says. "I really hope that Hawkeye will keep you in line, sir, but knowing her, I don't doubt it."

"Neither do I."

And so he steps outside and nods at his future commander as he accepts the envelope. "I feel honoured to join your forces, General Llewellyn."


	2. while I was sleeping, Roy M

**_while I was sleeping_**

**Characters**: Roy Mustang, Jade Tempest

**Summary**: She had everything prepared.

* * *

He wakes up and everything is different.

His sight is restored and the first thing he sees is his lieutenant, sitting by the window and dutifully goes through reports. She looks peacefully for once and he refuses to disturb her and so he averts his gaze – to see someone he has never expected there. Two women sit on the deserted bed, both tired from the journey and he knows that they have travelled because one of them is stationed in South City and the other one has the entire Western Military Hospital to take care of. And yet, it makes sense for them to be in the capital.

Doctor Force who also goes by Major Force and the Silver Hands Alchemist is an expert when it comes to rebuild something from nothing (that is also why he has pencilled her name on the list of potential supporters of the rebuild of Ishbal) and since Grumman is a smart man, he has invited the minds who can easily organise the reconstruction of everything that has been destroyed. The other woman makes even more sense to him as soon as he gets over his initial shock because she looks so much older now and so pale that his heart nearly shatters. But under the pale skin is still the heart of a lion and his cousin has always had a way of keep going when everyone around her has long given up on her.

"Jade," he whispers and she moves her head. "Why are you here?"

She laughs lightly. "I got your message," she replies. "You told a certain someone to tell everyone that you are going to be busy again and so I felt free to follow your invitation. I also got Lynn here to supervise your surgery. According to her and Crystal, there won't be any complications."

"I feel bad for saying this to you but I was going crazy when I saw nothing at all," he admits.

She rolls her eyes. "I am not blind, Roy-boy," she says and he sees how Riza's mouth twitches in amusement. "Sure, I don't see like a _hawk_ but I see more than enough to work properly."

He nods and looks at her before he raises his voice. "And now, Lieutenant Colonel Tempest, why don't you tell me why you believe that you might be a valuable part of my plan."

"First of all, it's Colonel," she corrects him smugly. "I caught up with you for the moment. Secondly, if you are too stupid to realise why you need me, I should really reconsider whether you are really worth my support, Roy-boy."

"You are still the big mean bully you always were," he sighs. "But well, I will need someone who has worked in all the important headquarters. I have Grumman behind me and Armstrong will begrudgingly support me as well but I am not so sure about Llewellyn and Hamilton – they were both reinstated, weren't they?"

"First order from Grumman, yeah," she says. "They were also both promoted to general but this has been long overdue anyway. Talking of promotions, there will be many more in the next few weeks. At the moment, it's only for people who have not been promoted in five years and who have had nothing to do with the rebellion."

"That explains Llewellyn and Hamilton," he mutters as he rubs his temples. "So, did you complete anything important or why are you so … bouncy?"

She glares at him. "Oh, I only finished the translation of the entire scripts written by our ancestor George Mustang but if you aren't interested, I won't tell you anything about this."

"This is hardly everything you have been doing lately," he sighs. "Tell me."

"Okay," she smirks. "Since you asked so nicely, I signed up for a job in International Relations. I will be replacing Kay who will be replacing you here in Central since you will be replacing Grumman in the East. And I am saying this because this means that you have someone in International Relations for the very first time and because I can advertise your single status in Aerugo or wherever I will be stationed for the next few years."

"I thought that you were aiming for a position in Central City. I had counted on that a little bit."

"We both know that you haven't counted on me when it was important for years now, Roy-boy," she tells him. "Plus, I thought further ahead than you. When you will be chancellor in a democratic Amestris, you will need someone who knows the people of Aerugo. I am volunteering."

"We both know that I will be never chancellor of a democratic Amestris."

Her slap resounds in the silent room and Riza averts her gaze from her reports.

_"Don't mess with me,_ Roy Mustang," Jade snarls. "You aren't thinking far enough and this is why I came here in first place. You haven't paid attention to the parliament lately, did you? They passed a few laws that might interest you – like the one that concerns the abolition of the death penalty. I think that this is something very beautiful."

"Why did you interfere? Why did you ask your mother to suggest this law?"

Her eyes, darker than his and deeper than the sea, become harder than steel. "Maybe because I care enough about other people to realise that so many people would suffer if you are selfish like that. Did you consider that not only you would have to face that punishment? I was in the Cretan War – and unlike you, I like being alive … thank you very much, Roy."

"Selfishness is nothing like you."

"It is not selfishness when I want to protect my mother from losing the only living reminder of her twin brother," she replies. "I have been there as well. I know what it feels like when you see blood and the life in the eyes of a beloved person as it disappears while there is nothing you can do. I said this before: if do anything that is against the interest of the family, I will stop you."

"You worded it differently then."

"I will hardly murder you with my own hands if death is what you are striving for, Roy. Give me a little more credit, will you?"

"You do remember that I am still outranking you, promotion or not?"

"You are talking to Grand's successor," she snaps at him. "You can't pull rank on me right now, Roy. Don't think that I didn't plot this neatly."

"You and Grumman would be a dangerous team – the only ones who are trickier than me," he says slowly because this makes sense. Jade is famous for making no mistakes and he should have found a way to control her better because now he has indeed a problem. "Why?" he asks.

She sighs. "Can't you just believe that I actually care?" she asks back.

"You have never cared about anything, Jade. Never."

She laughs mirthlessly. "Maybe this was my way to protect what I can protect, Roy," she tells him. "I refused to let you down so many times, I always came back for you after you sent me away – and now, you doubt that I cared? You are ridiculous."

"You didn't even wait for Phil's surgery before you boarded the train to South City."

Suddenly, he feels an impact on his cheek and as he opens his eyes, the silver-haired woman stands in front of him, blushing in embarrassment but with dangerously glinting eyes. _"You … you have no right overall to speak like this,"_ she hisses at him. "That night, we all suffered and we all lost a big part of something we took for granted: our companionship. We were ripped apart and after that night, nothing was the same anymore. Yes, Jade left the group. But so did I because all of us made a mistake and we all had to deal with it on our own. Serena and Phil fought it out in the gym that had to be closed afterwards. I concentrated on healing and I worked afterhours to the point that I collapsed from exhaustion. And Jade … she felt guiltier than Serena and as you might remember: Rena was the one to actually cut off the hand."

Jade gently grabs her friend's hand and pushes it down. "Calm down, Lynn," she says softly.

"Jade … why do you let him kick you around like that?"

"Because they are one and the same," Riza remarks drily as she pushes away another bunch of paper. "Well, Colonel, you should still tune down the insults a little bit, okay?"

"You are my bodyguard, Hawkeye, and I was just slapped twice," he complains.

"And both times, it was deserved," she replies. "Plus, I am off duty right now … and anyway, could you come to an end soon? Visiting hours are nearly over and I would like to get back my bed before the doctors come to check on us."

"That won't be a problem because for the moment, I am your doctor," Silver Hands states drily.

"Jade," Roy nods in her direction. "It's time that we check on Aunty, wouldn't you agree?"

"She and dad are in Creta for their anniversary," she replies with a soft smile and he feels the familiar sting of guilt because no matter how much he throws at her, no matter how many times he has stabbed her into the back, she has always smiled and ignored everything because – and he should have remembered this – she would always care enough for him to keep from lashing out at him. She is his mirror, someone he cannot break because it would mean to destroy himself and he could never do this.


	3. made for gold, Roy M

**_made for gold_**

**Character**: Roy Mustang, his daughter

**Summary**: He asked for a princess to spoil and received an empress to conquer the world.

* * *

Her mother is his queen and so, she has been meant to be the princess. He has dreamed of a little girl to spoil rotten, to love and to adore. He has expected himself to loathe her future boyfriends – just because they are further proof that his little girl has grown up, that she is no longer just his little girl. He has dreamed of taking her to his office to show her all the offices and to have her meet all his colleagues who worked with him at the creation of a better Amestris, an Amestris where she will be safe forever.

And yet, things have come entirely different.

Yes, she is all gold and amber – an exact replication of her mother – but she is determinate. She strives through her life with a purpose unknown to him and he can only watch how she conquers. She is calm and patient but he has seen her ambition to be the best at everything she does. Not that he minds this. He enjoys seeing her ambition because it reminds him of her own but he is scared that she will end up broken like him, that she will want too much before it is her turn – and it will not be her turn for many years.

She is beautiful, his daughter, beautiful as a spring day because she carries her mother's beauty and his family's grace inside of her veins and so she is admired by many. She is, however, not as admired as her older cousin who is of exotic beauty and he wonders more than once why she does not mind this as much as everyone else would have minded.

His daughter, his princess-turned-empress, has a backbone made of steel hidden under her softness and her mind is as sharp as the sword of the Armstrong-family, a sword he has seen a little bit too often lately because the owner of said sword barges into his office every day to remind him of important dates he has been, according to her, totally forgetting about since his wife is on a vacation in East City where she is opening children hospitals and other public buildings.

He loves his daughter and yet, he often wonders when she will have enough. She will never be chancellor after him because there is someone else, someone who has been working for this since the day he has declared that he will not enter another election. And she has helped the other one, she has smiled for the campaign and she has pushed the other one forward when she has been scared whether she is meant to be chancellor.

And when he sees her smile as the other one shakes his hand and signs the official document that makes her chancellor and him a free man, he realises that she has never strived to be empress of an empire. She is an empress, alright, but she is also a lonely child who has waited for her father to come home and now, she has reached this goal.


	4. she came home, Denny B, Maria R

**_she came home_**

**Characters**: Denny Brosh, Maria Ross

**Summary**: And the world turns again.

* * *

_The desk by the window is taken again._

And this is all what matters at the moment. He does not care about anything else. Who cares that both Major Hawkeye and General Armstrong have snapped at him for daydreaming while walking through the hallways? Who cares that Captain Havoc had been teasing him mercilessly or that he has misspelled the name of General Hamilton's wife as Katherine instead of Catherina three times – today?

He merrily skips through the hallways and wonders whether or not he should ask the newly returned Captain Ross now or whether this is too early when he suddenly crashes into a visitor. For a moment, he considers the possibility of the stranger being Edward Elric but he is too tall, too lean and too female and so he is confused – until he sees the bemused face of Colonel Miles who positively glares at him which looks less intimidating as usual because he carries a baby.

"Um…" he starts.

"How about you apologise to my wife?" the colonel prompts impatiently. "You ran into her."

"It's no big deal, Lawrence, really," the woman says as she gently touches his arm. "Really, Lieutenant, never mind. I am not hurt even though he tends to think I am made of glass."

"I don't think like that," the colonel mutters as he rocks the baby girl back and forth.

"I apologise for being distracted, madam," he still says as he bows his head. "I was not paying enough attention and I really should concentrate more. It's just that-"

He stops because he really does not want to bore the woman because her husband is a scary one – like everyone from Briggs because you have to be scary in some way when you deal with Major, no, Colonel Armstrong's elder sister on a regular basis.

"Please continue, Lieutenant," the woman prompts with a kind and patient smile.

"My partner returned from Xing and was reinstated as Captain a few days ago after she was falsely accused of murder," he explains as he balances on the balls of his feet. "It makes me really, really happy to see her coffee mug on the colonel's desk when she hurried out to get something for him … or her coat on the hanger. Sorry, I went off tangent."

"I understand you completely, Lieutenant," she says with a nod. "I was as bouncy when my sister came back from Ishbal. Anyway, Lawrence, I need to pester Olivier about a few things so we should hurry up a bit, wouldn't you agree?"

He watches the couple leave and remembers to make sure to get the name of Colonel Miles' wife to sent her an invitation when he ever gets married – hopefully soon and hopefully to the woman who has come home and set the world back on its axis again.

"Brosh!"

Speaking of the devil, no, angel.

"Yes, Ross?" he asks as he hurries to her side. "Were you looking for me?"

"I ran into Colonel Miles and his wife and she said that you were looking for me because you have something to tell me," she says as she crosses her arms. "You might want to say it now because we have a meeting in-"

"Will you go out with me?"

"-in eight minutes and General Llewellyn is not one to mess with," she says before she interrupts herself. "Ehm, come again?"

"Will you go out with me?" he repeats and wonders why it suddenly seems so easy.

"L-like a … date?" she asks as she blushes faintly.

"Y-yeah," he confirms as he blushes as well.

"Um, yes, sure," she says as she nods. "Why not?"


	5. monster, Berthold H

**_monster_**

**Characters**: Berthold Hawkeye, Reine Hawkeye

**Summary**: He has become what he hated.

* * *

His reflection is blurring more and more with every time he looks into the mirror. His green eyes are suddenly getting blue and his hair becomes paler and longer while his face twists and becomes feminine and yet, it still looks like him in a distant, confusing way.

He knows why this is happening, why his reflection is the woman he hates more than anything or anyone else on this planet. He is slowly becoming her because in the end, they live and die as one. He has known that no matter how hard he tries, he will never be able of getting rid of this reflection because in the end, they reflect their bad sides just as much as their brilliancy.

His sister has always been like him in many ways and their paranoia is a similarity they have never gotten rid of because this is something deeply etched into their personalities. They are both scared of people who might steal their achievements away from them.

Her cold blue eyes gleam back at him as he lowers his gaze to stare at the manuscript in his hands. He knows just too well what she would do if she was in his place – because he knows what she has done when it was her turn, he knows the way she has etched her secrets into someone else's skin without even considering the consequences for the poor girl.

He on the other hand has considered all the consequences and yet, he faces the realisation that there is no other way because no matter how much of a sociopath his sister has always been, she is also one of the most brilliant heads this country has to offer and he has to agree that the danger of permanently ruining the relationship to a daughter is less dangerous than risking that a secret and dangerous alchemy technique gets into the wrong hands.

"Forgive me, Riza," he whispers and looks up just in time to see how his sister's eyes show the same expression of smugness he has always loathed about her.


	6. we can't be over, West City Jewels

**_we can't be over_**

**Characters**: West City Jewels

**Summary**: To rip them apart is cruelty

**Companion-ish**: dethroned kings and queens, it's not over tonight, it's hard to say this, accepting the challenge, it's a little funny, as far as we know and other parts of methodical madness

* * *

_This can't be happening._

That was what they all thought as they stared at the white envelopes on the table. Jade's eyes were strangely vacant as her lips formed the words she could not speak because for once, she was just as clumsy with her words as Serena. The blonde sat on the couch, her head lowered and seemingly, she was just waiting for a lightening bolt to strike down and kill her. Phil had raged earlier but now, he harmlessly sat by the ruins of the chair he had destroyed. Lynn, owner of the house and also the only one without a letter, silently sat on the windowsill.

"This … this is wrong," Serena finally chocked out.

"Yeah," Jade said in agreement as she helplessly shrugged. "I … I seriously do not understand … I mean, we have been together for years." She turned her head and looked at her brother who had not moved in more than ten minutes. "I would understand if it was because we are so close … this is nearly against the frat laws – only that we are not touched by that because we are, you know, not dating each other."

Lynn's mouth twitched and she smirked mirthlessly at her sister. "I never knew that you'd accuse those people of intelligence, Jade," she stated as she leaned back. "Let's face it: this has been planned and the general got nothing to do with this because she has forged us into reliable officers and she'd be crazy to transfer us. Plus, she knows that we are at our best together."

"The lady is not prone to committing such mistakes," Phil whispered as he raised his head. "Well, on the bright side, there are better mechanics in the North anyway."

Serena flinched and Jade sighed but did not address the topic. "Look," the black-haired woman said carefully. "I will miss all of you … especially you, Phil, but we seriously need to learn how to deal with this issue. We cannot let this get us down."

Lynn sighed deeply. She knew her friend too well to be fooled by this bravery. "She's right," she said anyway because she would never let go Jade's courage to waste. "We need to be matured about this," she went on. "And we should start seeing this as a chance to … to make each other proud. I mean … we didn't become dependent, did we?"

They shook their hands, one after another, but no matter how much they denied it, they knew that they would forever be depending on each other, that they would never allow another team to replace the other ones.


	7. the last glow, Edward E Jade T, Bendix L

**_the last glow_**

**Character**: Jade Tempest, Edward Elric

**Summary**: She is still gleaming thought she is jaded.

* * *

The second-in-command of the Department of International Affairs of the Southern Headquarters is the kind of woman no one should mess with unless he or she has a certain death wish or no interest in pursuing a successful career because while she is fair and keen on having a good and stable relationship with her subordinates, she has a firm set of rules everyone should know and abide because otherwise, she can and will destroy an entire career within the blink of an eye and she will not feel guilty about this.

To be fair, this is a fact known mostly among the soldiers of the South who have frequent contact with the woman in question or the soldiers of West City where the second-in-command has worked previous to her transfer to the South. And yet, not knowing about the woman's temper is no excuse if she hands out severe punishment for doing something to disturb the order of the headquarters. Some said that if there would be prize for the best organised troupes, the South would have only one true opponent: Briggs – and this is an admirable feat because the South has far more soldiers they have to keep in charge.

And yet, there is always some fool who forgets to check whether he is entering a lion's den. And in this case, Edward Elric has had no clue what kind of lioness he has had disturbed.

It is a normal day in South City when Edward Elric arrives, carrying a letter from his superior which he is supposed to trade for a permission to have full access to the library of South City which is supposedly the largest after the one in Central City has been burned down.

The youngest state alchemist in Amestrian history merrily walks up to the receptionist in the entrance hall and waves politely. "Hey there," he greets with a smile. "I got a letter from my superior and he said that I should check in with the officer responsible for the state alchemist down here in the South … can you tell me where I can find them?"

The young woman goes through a few files before she looks up with an apologising smile. "I am sorry but … neither the lieutenant general nor the major general are in today – they have some family reunion down in the Western Area … so I can only tell you their replacement in case of emergency. Lieutenant Colonel Tempest sits in the West Wing, Department for International Affairs, Room 459. That's on the fourth floor…"

"Well, if the other ones are out, I also take a lieutenant colonel," the boy grins as he heads for the western part of the building while he wonders why the entire building is so silent. He is used to East and Central Headquarters where the hallways are bustling with stressed soldiers who hurry from meeting to meeting, always hoping to be on time, and more relaxed fellows who gossip. But in this building, the silence is nearly eerie. If he would not see the soldiers, he would seriously consider the option that there is no one but the receptionist and the lieutenant colonel in this entire wing but he sees them in the hallways and he sees them working in their offices. Strange.

But a work ethic the lieutenant might seriously appreciate.

He finally reaches the door that proudly announces _Department of International Affairs – Officer-in-charge: Major General K. Hamilton – Second-in-commands: Brigadier General B. Llewellyn and Lieutenant Colonel J. Tempest_ and for a moment, he wonders what this department actually does all day long because even with Aerugo just down the street, they cannot have that much work.

He shrugs and keeps walking after pushing the door open until he gets to room 459 where he stops, brushes back a rebellious strand of hair and knocks – a little bit too hard because the door trembles after he withdraws his hand.

A moment later, a young man with blond hair opens, a wide smile on his face. He has forgone his uniform jacket – Edwards spots a blue object crumbled on the couch – and seems generally easy-going so for a moment, the boy seriously believes that this will be easy.

"Look, Lieutenant Colonel," he starts as he holds out his letter. "The bas- the _colonel_ gave me this letter and told me to use this as reference and proof of my identity _blah-blah-blah_ to get the actual permission to visit the library. That's all I came for."

"That's nice … Major," the man started, "but I am not the Lieutenant Colonel. I am Brigadier General Llewellyn – it's still nice to meet you."

"Uh, sorry," Fullmetal starts. "But – hey – why are you here if you are not the right person?"

"First of all: this is still my department and so I got a right of being in this office," the blond man grins as he takes a step back. "And secondly, it seems like the lieutenant colonel is down with something. We found her on the floor a few minutes ago and so, we are waiting for her to get up."

"Wait a moment – you found _her_? The lieutenant colonel is a _woman_?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Jadelina Tempest, currently the highest-decorated lieutenant colonel in the army, Breeze Soul Alchemist, translator-in-chief and second-in-command of this department and yes, indeed a woman," the brigadier general chuckles as he mentions towards the curled up form of a woman on the second couch. "She ain't got a fever so it's probably just over-exhaustion."

"Why are you using a southern accent if you are not from here?" Edward asks as he tries to figure out why this man is so relaxed even though his co-worker has passed out. He has not seen much from Mustang's team but he is pretty sure that they would throw one hell of a fit if something like that would happen with their beloved lieutenant.

"Caught me," he says as he crosses the room to tug his co-worker in after her blanket has dropped nearly to the floor. "I am really not from here – I was born and raised in Central City where I spent the first few years of my life and afterwards, I lived and worked in West City and later on up at Briggs – good times, those – but right now, I am a Southern boy and you know what they say: _when in Xing, be like the Xingese._"

"So if you are on a graveyard, you are automatically dead?" Edward rolls his eyes. "Anyway, could you do me a favour and wake her up? I really need that permission – my brother is waiting for me in front of the library."

"I'd rather not to," the man says, all his jokes are suddenly forgotten as he turns serious. "I have known her since we were kids since she's a Central kid like me and I learned one lesson quite early: do never wake her as long as the house isn't aflame."

"But … what am I supposed to do now?" he snaps at the older man. "My brother…"

"I will call the library and tell them to let him into the foyer where he can wait for you to pick him up. I will also make sure that you can get into the library as soon as Jade wakes up and that you can stay there for as long as you need to."

Edward realises that this is less about the proper code of conduct but more or less to save the reputation of saving the lieutenant colonel's reputation which is probably also the reason why there is no nurse in the room because as a female, she is always judged harder and more frequently than a man and cannot afford a moment of weakness. Plus…

"…you don't want to be alone with her … a jealous girlfriend?" Edward asks as he sits down on the other couch and smirks up at the man.

Llewellyn only smirks as he sips on his tea. "I am currently single," he says, "and even if we were dating, she'd hardly be the jealous type. You know what they say about queens, don't you? They are never scared of being replaced by anyone but an empress and no matter how much of a princess Jade used to be, she will forever be a warrior."

"A warrior can also be a queen," Edward remarks, thinking of the lieutenant.

"A queen she will be one day but she will never be my queen," the man replies calmly. "I am a loyal man and once I have chosen my queen, I would not trade her for anything in the world."

"That's admirable loyalty," the alchemist says with a shrug. "What makes her so special?"

For a moment, there is silence before a low rustle appears. "She makes me smile so much easier than normal people can and she matters most. There is no other explanation," the brigadier general replies before he moves quickly to restrain the woman who has shot up from her lying position on the couch and grabbed a knife from some hidden holster. "Jade, calm down," he says.

She trashes and tries to escape his grip but he does not let go of her as she mumbles something.

"No, vice-president, there is no one who wants to kill you here," he says as he takes the knife from her and finally releases her. "You do have a guest, though."

There is an instant change in the woman's posture. She relaxes and brushes back her hair before she turns around and sends Edward into hiding because there are two things he might have wanted to know beforehand. First of all, she has the most jaded and vacant green eyes he has ever seen and he wonders whether her first name is some pun with the fact that she looks absolutely disillusioned. Secondly, if there is a female version of the colonel, it would be here and given that they look about as similar to each other as Mrs Hughes and Elicia who look nearly identical with a few minor changes, it is extremely likely that this is the bastard's _sister_.

"Um, hello Lieutenant Colonel," he awkwardly greets as he holds out the letter. "I just…"

"A permission to get into the library? Right now? Forget it," she says as she impatiently grabs the letter from him. "I really don't know what Roy's thinking – he knows that I am working on a long-term protect that just entered its final stage and so it is unlikely that I will let someone disturb the sacred silence of the library."

"The letter says that he needs access to the eastern wing, organic and medical science," Llewellyn remarks after scanning the letter. "You're in the southern wing. He _cannot_ disturb you."

"How can I know that Roy didn't send him to spy on me? We are pitched against each other after all and … I wouldn't put it past him to send someone to spy on me."

"Being paranoid?"

"Wouldn't you think the same if your mother would send her most innocent looking officer just at the same time when you are working on some important project?"

"Well, you are here, aren't you?" he smirks. "That is kinda suspicious, vice-president…"

She glares at him. "Alright, Elric," she spits out. "You can go to the library and you will be granted full access but I will personally control you. To your misfortune, I can do this … just thought that you might want to tell Roy-boy that I looked right through him."

"Madam … Roy-boy?" Edward asks, wondering whether he should be terrified or amused.

"He is my cousin so I can call him by his childhood nickname. Anyway, if you want to get to the library, we should get going now. Bendix, are you with us? I think Lynn called you and told you to send her a bunch of books so…"

"She did … but how do you know?" the man asks as he grabs their coats. "I cannot remember telling you about that call, _spy_."

"It's not spying if I am told those things," she replies with a smirk as they head for the door. "Let's go."

* * *

The library is heaven on earth for everyone who appreciates knowledge and so Edward feels like walking on cloud nine because this is simply amazing. Light falls through the large windows and makes the golden letters on the books' backs glitter and shine. To Edward, this is truly heaven on earth and he hears a low chuckle from Llewellyn who merely steps into the study hall after grabbing a book in passing. "You are reacting just like all the other state alchemists – well, with the exception of Wave, Lightening and Silver Hands because they grew up in this library," he grins. "Anyway, you get to your work while I get to mine. I got some research to do after all."

For the next few hours, silence reigns in the large hall as Edward hurries around, handing tons of books over to Alphonse who holds them until they finally settle down on a desk to start their actual work. Both brothers have to admit that this library is far better than any other one because they have the better structure and everything makes sense.

Night falls but since no one makes a move to get up and leave, they merrily keep working on their research. A soft snore indicates that Llewellyn has fallen asleep over a book called _'Secrets of the Briggs'_ but he looks peaceful and calm enough to let him sleep until he starts to trash as well. Edward enjoys the silence but around midnight, it is not broken but scattered as a scream resounds through the entire building. Alphonse watches in shock how the man's body snaps into a sitting position before he rushes away.

"What's going on?" he asks. "Maybe there's someone who needs help!"

Edward sighs but follows the scream to the northern part of the library where he nearly crashes into Llewellyn who stands in the doorframe, shock etched into his face. In the moonlight that falls from one of the windows, his facial expression looks strangely eerie and terrifying but suddenly, Edward realises that even this man is a broken one.

Also visible in the moonlight is the face of another woman on the other side of the room, pale hair shining like silver, and the silhouette of the lieutenant colonel, seemingly fighting someone.

"Jade! Stop this madness!" the stranger calls out before she makes a dash into the black-haired woman's direction to restrain her from kicking against a high bookshelf. "Llewellyn, help."

"What the fuck is going on here, Hamilton?" the man snarls as he helps her and grabs Tempest's arms and forces her down onto the ground where shackles of wood keep her down.

"She revives our fight against Scar … only that this time, she dodged that second blow," the woman called Hamilton replies as she presses her hands against the other woman's face. "This means that in her mind, it played out differently – like … Phil died because Serena was too slow to save him. That's what she thinks of … she tortures herself again."

"Remember when she was transferred? I asked you whether she's okay!"

"Excuse me but she was not exactly the person to talk about her own problems when her brother had lost his hand, my sister was an empty shell and I was lost because I had never counted on this to happen! Excuse me for not forcing her to talk when she said that she would be okay. I trusted her on being rational about all of this!"

"How could anyone be rational after what had happened? She nearly died that night!"

"I do know that but seriously – so did everyone else! I was three millimetres out of Scar's reach!"

"She told me about that because we actually talk! She is deadly scared of the possibility that he goes for Serena and Phil again because Kay scared him already off and simply didn't report it!"

"Stop this yelling – now!" Edward interrupts them. "This isn't helping anyone."

The silver-haired woman merely snarls into his direction. "I do not blame you for destroying her like this, Bendix, but … you know that no one is innocent. We are the ones who know her best – and also the ones who have broken her before. We are both to blame on her vacant stare."

"You have broken her first."

"I had to break her to free her," the woman says as she releases the wrists. "There is a difference between you and me, Treasurer," she adds with a snarl. "I had a reason. You had none. You made your choice … and according to my moral compass, it was the wrong one."

"I don't see what your moral compass has to say if I remember the way you broke everyone who has ever gotten close to you, secretary," he replies with a glare. "You are a weapon of mass destruction, aren't ya? You shouldn't forget about that, Silver Hands."

"Not that shit again," she says as she rolls her eyes. "You aren't from here so mind your tongue."

"Well, well, if Queen Mitras isn't a witty one."

"If you two are making another battle of witty insults, get out first," the woman on the floor sighs. "Really, I've had a headache for a decade the last time you did this and I don't want this again. So if you'd please get out now?"

"Understood, Stormy," the silver-haired woman says. "C'mon, Goldy, you heard her."

"I ain't your goldfish, Secretary!"

Edward watches them leave with huge eyes and the most prominent thought in his mind was "And they are seriously members of the military? High-ranking officers even?"

"I am sorry about them … but they have been doing this since Grade three and I seriously don't see them stop anytime soon," Tempest sighs as she grabs into her bag and pulls out a bottle of juice and two glasses. "I heard that your brother won't drink anything, Elric," she says with a nod and suddenly, he realises that she has known, that she has known all along but that she has said nothing for some reason. "Don't be mad at Roy-boy for telling us but he had not much of a choice. Otherwise, he would have found my brother's automail in his mouth and a few teeth missing," she shrugs in embarrassment. "I think he might have a problem with his anger management."

"Wait a second … Mustang knew that I'd meet you here, didn't he? And I just remembered that no state alchemist who served in Ishbal has to take any evaluations so you had no reason to worry that I might be a spy … so, why were you so mean?"

"Just in case that you'd ever meet the Ice Queen, you will know why. You … you see: no matter what, I will forever be Major General Armstrong's one and only rival," Tempest smirks. "She does not fear Roy who burns like a flame or Bendix who is reliable and steady in his pursue of higher and higher ranks. She only fears what she cannot see … and she has not seen me completely since the days when I was the vice-president of the student council and she the president."

"You … you and the both others, you were all in that council, right, madam?" Alphonse asks.

"Yes," she confirms. "In Central City's Private School, we lived, learned and laughed. Some of us even loved but that was never my cup of tea. And given that I am the only one who can truly claim to know what really happened at prom, Roy probably considered it his smartest idea in a long time to send you here first. It's the only way to be prepared for the president."

She suddenly smiles and lights up the entire room as her eyes start to shine.


	8. a beautiful world, Izumi C

**_a beautiful world_**

**Character**: Izumi Curtis

**Summary**: She is still alive.

* * *

She is still alive and while this is already a miracle in itself, she cannot help but see more and more miracles every day. She sits in the garden behind their house, still recovering, still fighting for her breath at times but slowly feeling better again, slowly feeling the pain fade away and she _sees_. She suddenly sees the beauty of the world, the beauty of every little thing.

The red of the roses is suddenly so much brighter and so much more meaningful than it has been before while the trees are so much greener and embody her hope, the hope for a recovery that will allow her to be healthy again – as healthy as one can be with organs missing.

She smiles at this and she wonders whether all of those flowers and trees are so much brighter, so much more hope-inspiring now that she and Sig need this hope, that they have to hope even do not know what they can still hope for.

She stays outside for a very long time, watching the blue sky with the white clouds that are chased by the faint summer breezes until the blue is dyed black and the birds do no longer sing. She enjoys the silence and the serenity of the night because this is perfection and she remembers the time she has meditated at silent places.

When she walks through town with Sig who has never been more worried for her than now, she shows him all the little miracles she sees now, the colours of the rainbow and the smiles of the people. She has never seen this before and like a child playing in the first snow, she wants to share her excitement with her husband but … he has seen this before as well.

And so, they walk together, side by side, and watch the way a group of friends reunites after long months of separation and how old friends get married. They feel the happiness and the sadness around them much better now that they have tasted it as well and yet, they smile when their neighbour's wife gives birth to a healthy daughter and try not to think that their son might have been the little girl's playmate one day.


	9. with a scalpel in hand, Doctor Knox

**_with a scalpel in hand_**

**Character**: Doctor Knox

**Summary**: He had so many things to atone for.

* * *

His heart feels weird the moment he sees the slumped down form of the probably best surgeon of the entire country. She leans against the wall, face buried in her hands and whimpering. For some reason, this is the saddest thing he has seen in a very long time because it seems not right how easily even the strongest of women can be broken. He has known her for the longest time because she has studied under him when she has decided to broaden her experience by becoming a part-time pathologist to assist the Department for Investigation of Crimes at the Western Headquarters because she still feels connected to those officers. He has to hand it to her; she has proven to be quite skilled, given her education and her intuition but he had been relieved to hear that she has returned to her position as chief of the hospital.

"Oi, Hamilton, what's the matter?" he asks as he nudges her carefully. "I was called?"

She looks up at him with teary eyes and he wonders whether he has ever seen her tears before. The answer was that no, he has never seen her losing her composure like that because she is the most rational among her sisters and she is a doctor who has seen blood before. "Vicky," she finally whispers. "We … we were shopping for her birthday, I promised her a new dress … and when we crossed a road, I only heard the shot … and I was not fast enough…"

For her to admit that she has not been fast enough has never happened before because she holds multiple national records – has been holding them since she has been _sixteen_ – and she is still the fastest person he has ever met and she makes no mistakes, does never waste a second. But this is not the time for him to analyse why she has failed now. He has a life to save and so he can only grab her wrist and pull her to her feet.

"Go, wipe off those tears and get your ass into the operation room," he says as he walks into the very direction. "I know about the policy that emotionally attached people aren't allowed in there but seriously, you are the only surgeon in this hospital I can work with. I warn you: I have not operated on a living being in a long time and I will be anything but tender but…"

"I rather have a scarred daughter than a dead one," she says as she grabs bag. "Give me five minutes. I will be there. I promise."

And so he enters an operation room for the first time in years and for a moment, he sighs before grabs the cap and the gown. It really takes a whimpering and crying top surgeon for him to even consider the option of doing a surgery of this importance once more. But Helena Hamilton is the daughter of the man who has made it possible for him to work within the safe conditions of the military where his job is ensure until his retirement and Helena is a real darling beneath her cold behaviour and so he cannot really turn her down when she asks him for a favour.

He slips into the gloves and waves at the operating surgeon. "The Major told me to take over from here," he explains. "She ensured me that she has utmost trust in my abilities."

The other man sighs, probably long accustomed to his boss' ways and hands over the scalpel.

This is when he sees, really sees the girl on the table. She is unconscious and pale with her fiery red hair plastered against her face. She looks a lot like her mother and for a moment, he nearly hesitates before he grabs the necessary tools and starts working on the removal of the bullet. Lucky for the girl, her mother usually knows what to do when someone is hurt and so Helena has remembered the basics of emergency treatment instead of freaking out.

"Second scalpel," he muttered from behind his mask and holds out his hand.

The hand that reaches out trembles slightly and he turns his head for a moment to be face to face with Helena who is paler than usual and yet, her hand stops shaking as she exhales. He smiles as he remembers why she is his successor as most skilled surgeon – if necessary, she can always distance herself from the surgery at hand and focus on her job.

He exhales to focus on the task at hand as well, looking at the gaping hole in the girl's calf. It was good that Helena has kept the bullet in place because otherwise, things would be far nastier than they already are and he wonders whether removing the bullet is a smart idea because if he does, he will have the problem of high blood loss.

"I can close the wound as soon as the bullet it out," Helena says. "Well, it will need a few stitches first but I can speed up her healing and … _she will not die."_

He wonders whether he has been this passionate about anything in his life before he nods. She is right. They simply have to save the girl's life because a young girl, born and raised without any prejudices can be the kind of person Amestris will need in the future, the kind of person this country needs so desperately because everyone who used to be an idealist like that Mustang-boy has been disillusioned in Ishbal.

He suddenly feels like he is back in that shed, back at the bed where he is performing surgery on that Xingese girl who has survived and he remembers that he has never lost a patient and that little Victoria will not be the first one. He knows that he has done many terrible things and that he has disrespected many rules of being a doctor but he can change and he will change if it means to save the life of innocent children.

"I will sew it," he says slowly. "You … you do your thing right afterwards."


	10. all messed up, Chris M, Roy M

**_all messed up_**

**Characters**: Chris Mustang, her sister

**Summary**: Life after Abel.

* * *

The moment Chris Mustang realised that it was really, truly over was the moment the coffins were lowered into the dark earth to never see the sunlight again. It was ridiculously good weather for a burial, the sun was shining and not a single cloud was in sight. She grabbed her sister's hand a little tighter, hoping to get a reaction from Abigail but there was no avail because the very second the heart under her hand had stopped beating, Abigail Tempest née Mustang had stopped functioning as a normal human being. Within seconds, she had gone from denial to an acceptance she had not been ready to shoulder yet and had broken apart under the knowledge.

Chris looked from her little sister to her orphaned nephew and cursed Abel for leaving them behind. Roy was coping the way a four-year-old dealt – with confusion and she just knew that while Abigail had realised it too fast, Roy had not understood it yet. It was so typical for Abel to leave the way he had lived: always too fast or too slow but never at the right pace. She sighed as she shook her head, wondering how her sister-in-law – may God bless her soul – had ever been able to love Abel and to live with him who had never had a right pace. Then again, Rachel had probably seen something in him no one else had ever seen and so, it was okay.

She squeezed Roy's hand once more and hugged him as the man in black – Rachel's father – laid a single white rose onto the fresh grave. A moment later, Abigail rose, trembling and whimpering in spite of the sedative her doctor had given her to prevent a nervous breakdown, to rest the enormous bouquet of red lilies and white roses on her brother's grave.

There had never been a discussion about who of them would do this. Abigail had been Abel's twin sister, his all-time favourite and thus, it had been her right and her duty to lay down their flowers. It was a shame to see Abigail this broken over their brother's death and if he had been still alive, Chris would have throttled him for making her little sister suffer like that.

"Aunty … why is Aunty Abbs crying like that?" the little boy asked and Chris decided not to lie because one day, he might remember and she did not want him to get the wrong idea.

"Sometimes…" she started. "Sometimes, you are very sad … so sad that it feels like someone has your heart in his or her grasp and squeezes it tightly. And Aunty Abbs … she has loved your brother, a lot. She is very sad that he is no longer here and … she cries because the pain has to escape from her body somehow to make … to make her stop suffering."

"So, if she has no tears left, she will no longer hurt?"

"You know, this is a good question … and I really don't know. Maybe … hopefully."

She prayed for deliverance for her sister, for something to make Abigail's tears stop because Abigail had always been the strong one, the one who had defied everything and everyone because she had known that she was doing the right thing. But all along, the younger woman had relied on Abel and with Abel gone, there was no guarantee left for Abigail's sanity. Under different circumstances, she would have been the one to take in Roy but in her current state, she could barely take care of herself and her husband would be busy enough with their own twins. Plus, Abel had wanted that Roy would be her foster son and not Abigail's – maybe because he had known. Abel had been a smart man and he had loved Abigail just as much as she had loved him and thus, he had most likely known that his untimely death would break her apart.

"Uncle Alain?" Roy asked as he tugged on his uncle's sleeve. "Can you make Aunty Abbs smile again? Daddy never liked it when she frowned … he liked her smile 'cause it's like the sun."

This was when Chris shed her first tear. She had tried to be the strong one after Abigail's breakdown because Roy needed someone to lean on but now, she could not hold it back anymore. Roy was right. This was indeed what Abel would have wanted but this did not make it hurt any less.

* * *

For Abigail Tempest, it ended far, far later.

It did not end the day when her brother's heart stopped beating and her world stopped turning. It did not end the day she could remove the bandages from her arms to see the scars that flames had left behind. It did not end the first time she felt well enough to go to the graveyard without her husband to lay down Abel's favourites flowers on their birthday. It did not end the day she accidentally called her brother only to realise that he would not pick up.

For Abigail, it ended when she realised that she was still alive, even without him. It ended when she could read their old books on air alchemy without breaking down every time she saw a handwritten remark her brother had left behind. It ended when she could breathe and walk without feeling the weight of a life not lived on her shoulders, when she could smile when she remembered his antics.

She would never deny that Abel's death had left traces on her because she had loved her brother and for him to disappear like that had broken her but she had healed. Her husband had carefully pieced her back together, never pressuring, always giving her the space she needed. And as time passed, she could talk about her brother without crying, she became a new person, an Abigail-_without-Abel_. This was strange because she had always known him to be there when she fell and now, she had to pick herself up. In her childhood, she had never imagined that she might be the one to bring the flowers to the grave of her brother after all was over.

She still missed him but with every passing day, she received another blanket woven out of love. Her children grew and her husband had always been there to comfort and shelter her when she felt cold. She still regretted, though. She regretted that Roy had never met his father – she had barely known her sister-in-law but she would have wanted him to meet Rachel as well – but as years passed, she also regretted that she had been as missing in his childhood as his parents.

On bad days, she imagined that Abel was just on a vacation and that he would be back. On good days, she remembered the dreams she used to have and worked on changing the world, little by little, by working in council of her hometown and fighting for better education. Whenever she felt like betraying her brother or not honouring his memory enough because she worked again, only three years after he had left, she remembered Chris' words "He wouldn't have wanted you to crawl around, choking on a noose that bears his name" and breathing was easier again.

What she regretted as well was that she had never had the chance to say goodbye because maybe, letting go would have easier in that case.

But in the end – and this was maybe the only reason why she suffered, Abigail Tempest was human.

She was a human who missed the beloved ones but she slowly learned to move on from her brother's death because otherwise, she would break to the point that even Alain could not fix her again and she knew that this was the last thing Abel wouls have wanted.


	11. break down those walls, Grumman

**_break down those walls_**

**Characters**: Grumman, his wife

**Summary**: She is a cold lady but he is in love.

* * *

He is not prepared of her. He does not expect to find someone on the bench in the garden, on the bench where he has planned to read the next chapter of the book that it so much more interesting than the ongoing ball and everything else.

But she sits there, pretty in her ivory dress and her golden hair that is curled neatly. For a moment, he is lost because he has not expected someone else to leave the ballroom as well or that someone else has grown sick and tired of the fake smiles and empty promises that are given without a second thought.

She is stargazing and does not notice him – she never does after all – but she is just as pretty and glittering in glory and beauty as usual right now – and she is so unattainable that it is ridiculous for him to greet her. He still does.

"Is that seat taken?"

It is not and so he sits down, feeling awkward all of a sudden, too tall, to clumsy compared to her who is all petite, graceful and elegant. She is a good head shorter than him but her smaller body holds unknown strength and he is wary of her.

She is the Fuhrer's daughter and goes to the same school he attends as well but she is the kind of person who stays all alone and nearly seems to avoid other people sometimes. He has liked her for the longest time because she is the only one who is smart enough to be a challenge for him. He has heard of her brilliant essays and this is what he likes – someone who can keep up with his own intellect because – without bragging – most people fail to do so.

But she is so cold and reserved, never truly trying to make a connection with other people. He sees her nearly every day, always either reading under a tree or in the classroom when the weather does not allow her to read outside or reading and he wonders how someone can live like this, without any friends or other people to laugh with.

He remembers the first time he has noticed her. He has been sent to the principal after a prank has gone out of hand and she has just left the office when he has arrived. She has looked very pretty that day – a glittering and gleaming girl made of gold, ivory and emeralds – but this has never been the reason that has made her interesting to him. It has been the sadness and the loneliness in her eyes, the lost expression of her face and her general disinterest in everything and everyone. He is still wondering why she keeps away from everyone even though he has the theory that she is not interested in being used by someone because of her father's position.

"Charlotte," she suddenly says, never averting her gaze from the stars.

"Excuse me?"

"That's me," she declares, maybe a little bit too impatient. "You're General Grumman's son, huh?"

"Leroy, yes," he nods, desperately hoping to keep this conversation going because she is the only one who holds his interest and the only one who can make him blush at the simple thought of her and the only one who makes his palms sweaty. She is truly special.

"That's a funny name," she muses. "No name for a fifteen-year-old boy … you're too young."

"Well, Charlotte makes you sound a lot older as well."

"Feel free to come up with a nickname for me, **Roi,**" she smirks, her icy façade slowly breaking away and revealing a far kinder, softer and still interesting personality.

"Roi?" he repeats, tasting the new nickname – it is his first – on his tongue and liking the way it feels. "That sounds like you play chess, too, Jewel."

"Jewel?"

"Yeah," he nods. "From your last name."

"That's silly … but you are really funny."


	12. that one last summer, West City Jewels

**_that one last summer_**

**Characters**: Phil Tempest, Serena Hamilton

**Summary**: Before everything went downhill.

* * *

Summers in West City were hot and long. The streets were nearly empty around midday because everyone rather stayed inside where the heat was relatively tolerable. Only a few, crazy tourists would be in town and quite a few citizens of the town would leave the city to spend time on the countryside where the air was fresh and the sun did not burn as strong.

Among the people who had to stay in town even if it meant that life was hardly bearable anymore because breathing was already hard were Serena Hamilton and Philippe Tempest, a major and a lieutenant colonel from the Western Headquarters. Their sister who also happened to be there co-workers had left the town for a vacation in the East where breathing was easier and so they were stuck with a higher workload, a slightly moody superior and each other. Especially the last point proved to be a problem. They were both dedicated if slightly unenthusiastic workers – he loathed paperwork and she despised it – but they got their job done. They had both dealt with Lieutenant General Llewellyn's moods for long enough to know when it was wise to go missing and not return for a longer time.

Their problem was indeed that they were stuck with each other.

Under different circumstances, it might have been easier to deal with – if they were really just good friends, for example. Sadly, Serena had a crush on Phil and Phil had one on her. Usually, this did not matter because they were professionals and were perfectly capable of keeping their hands off each other – well, at least most of the time. With their sisters gone and in the middle of summer when a shorter, lighter version of the uniform was only reasonable, this was more difficult because having been rivals at everything long before they became friends and even longer before attraction started to develop, they liked nothing more than to annoy each other.

"…you forgot your skirt, Rena," Phil said as he looked up from his paperwork for a moment.

She smirked as she sat down. "No, that's the newest fashion," she said amused. "Why, don't you like it, Phil? By the way, I could ask you where you left your shirt."

They had been allowed to work at home because this allowed them to stay inside instead of driving about an hour to work. Little did the well-meaning superior know but the both state alchemists had no other hobby than to make the other one freak out.

"It is scorching hot outside," he replied as he went back to his paperwork. "I finish this report and then I will go to fetch new lemonade. Otherwise, I am going to die in here."

"Bring me a glass as well, please," she said as she sat down on her own desk and went back to calculating the price for the new summer uniform that would be handed out next spring. She listened to his fading footsteps and smirked to herself while she mused why the West got a third new summer uniform in the same time Briggs had gotten only one new winter uniform. She sighed and reasoned that the winter uniform had been developed longer and was therefore better than the summer uniform that had been designed within the three winter months without a single attempt on trying it out on an actual summer day.

A sudden cold feeling that ran from her shoulder down her chest made her shiver and she turned around to glare at Phil. "Just how old are you?" she snapped as she managed to manoeuvre the ice cube out of her bra. "Seriously, that is something a hormonal teenager would do."

He winked at her as he handed her a cup of ice cubes and the lemonade she had asked for. "Jade kept throwing ice cubes down her shirt for years when it was hot like that," he shrugged as he sipped on his cold drink. "I figured that it's some girl thing."

She sighed. "You got a stupid way of being cute, Phil, but technically, you aren't that far off. It's just that I prefer it when I know when the cold is coming, you know?" she asked.

"I will keep it in mind," he smirked.


	13. twisted reflections, Roy M

**_twisted reflections_**

**Character**: Jade Tempest, Roy Mustang

**Summary**: They are each other's reflection.

* * *

He is surprised when he sees her sitting on his couch – especially because he walks past her two times before he notices her sitting there, silent and motionless. In a way, this makes sense because there is no one better at hiding than her – basically because she has been born for a place in hiding, for a place where no one can see her unless she wishes to be seen.

"Goddamn it, Jade," he curses as he spots her. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

She slowly raises her head and looks at him. "What did I tell you about making sure that no one could get into your house while you are gone?" she asks back, her voice just as monotone and cool as usual. He has always wondered how a breathing person could be this silent, this calm but as long as he could remember, she has been reserved and even though he knows this to be her lie, a lie she has been keeping up for years.

The irony has always been that Jade is her cousin's reflection, the only mirror Roy has that will never lie to him. From the way they talk to their favourite drink and the way they sleep at night, there has never been a difference but their gender. Jade may be a little more stoic than him but this is just another perfect act – just like his carefree grin. Behind their masks, they are one and the same: ambitious but scarred. Some might argue that Jade and Phil would be the most similar in terms of appearance and behaviour but this is dead wrong. The twins merely complete each other because where she meets her shortcomings, he just starts to blossom but Roy and Jade are each others' reflection and constantly remind each other of their weaknesses.

"You are not here because you want a friendly chat," he replies, scrutinising her because the long years of experience have warned him that she can and will hurt him if he is not careful. Jade may have long outgrown the stage of surprise attacks but she is still someone of great physical prowess and he would hate to be surprised by her.

"Of course not," she replies as she leans back and wraps her arms around her legs. "I was wondering how you to it … being limited on being one out of three instead being judged for being yourself. I just was asked again whether I am proud of you and Phil."

"Which you hopefully are," he remarks drily as he looks at her. He is still not used to dealing with her when she has a bad day, a day when she questions basically everything in her life but he knows that he has to say or do something to cheer her up because otherwise, he will guilty for days again. Being a mirror comes at a high price after all.

"I am," she snaps as she sends him a nasty glare. "It is just that I am tired of being reduced to being one out of three … the least important even. Sure, I am a high deal back in the South but everything Central cares for is how 'hot' you and Phil looked in the last pictures they took of you before you disappeared again. That is surely troublesome."

He sits down next to her and wraps his arm around her. He knows what she feels even thought she is just bad at expressing what she feels as she has always been. For her to break into his house is a silent scream for help, for him to save her from drowning in sorrow and emptiness. She has been fine the day she has surprised him in the hospital, right after he has gotten his sight back, but she is not fine today. She will not be fine in a while and he knows.

He knows because they are one and the same and he is not fine either.

He takes off his scar and carefully wraps it around her neck before he leans his forehead against hers. "I will not lie and say the things you might want to hear," he starts as he wipes away that one tear that has managed to escape her, "but I can tell you that this pain will go away. It is not meant to last … you should see it as some kind of temporary suffering, nothing that will stay."

He knows that her pain is only part of the problem because the only way to fix her completely would mean to make her unique and he is pretty sure that she would not want to become a person who exists only once at the price of losing her brother and her cousin.

"I am a terrible person," she whispers as her fingers, so small and so lethal, wrap themselves around his. "I have wronged so many people … I have fooled myself into believing that I can be my own person if … if I only be strong enough … if I am the best out of three, people would start remembering me instead of asking me after you and Phil…"

"You and I, we are the same," he replies, smiling sadly. "I may have taken you for granted for too long … and that it why you started looking around for someone else to follow. I agree with you when you say that General Hamilton is an amazing leader because he is and I can only hope that one day, I can share his wisdom and his maturity when it comes to hard decisions." He shrugs. "I have always an empty place left for you, Jade, and you know this."

"How can you understand the way I feel if I can't even describe the emotion?"

"Because I feel just the same thing you do … the anger about being underappreciated, the blind desperation about being not good enough for everyone … I feel this too … I want to be the best as well … and this is why I I cannot stand to look at you at times … because my success is yours as well," he explains with a tired shrug. "It is kinda funny, isn't it? We have both tired so hard to rip each other apart, to become independent from the reflection…"

"In this case, we need to come clear on what will be now," she nods. "It makes me stay up far too late lately … and I refuse to break because of this."

He carefully rubs her back as he exhales. "You know that I care," he says. "I guess, in the end we both care a little bit too much … and I have to admit that while I need your help and your support, I seriously don't want to bother you. You are too good to be my subordinate – especially since you have chosen to lead a long time ago."

"I am sick and tired of our rivalry to be honest," she states drily. "You have taken advantage of my abilities countless times … goaded me into challenges I couldn't afford to pass up."

"To be honest, I expected you to look right through me and the little game I played," he admits with a sheepish grin. "After all, you should know me better than I know myself by now."

"I know myself and the games I play. It shouldn't surprise you that I understand your little games just as well as I understand my own."

"Pretty cold for a queen," he remarks.

"I was vice president of the students' council when Olivier was president. I guess that makes me kinda cool per default," she replies. "In any case, Roy, we cannot keep this up. We kill rip each other apart if we keep playing against each other because it means to play against ourselves."

"While this is true, I see no reason why we should stop. Up to now, nothing happened."

"You have send Elric to the South to get on my nerves. This is basically a declaration of war, Roy. Be happy that I am not as easily to provoke as my brother or I would have done my very best to crush you already," she says with a glare. "We go back too long for me to accept your childishness any longer. This is no declaration of war, merely some declaration of my intent to do everything to be successful even if you were to be my superior one day."

"I remember you too well from when we were children to believe that this is your only intention," he says slowly. "There is another thing that makes you strive forward … something that borders to inner darkness. Would you mind to fill me in?"

"You once asked me what happened to the girl with the dolls and the pigtails. To be honest, I can only give you the same answer right now: she grew up. And I wonder … how can you be me when you are bathing in the limelight while I have gained nothing?"

"As soon as skill does no longer matter, it is luck that decides who win's … and I guess that I have always been favoured by Lady Luck. But don't worry, Jade – as soon as your shitty luck runs completely out, I will be there to fix what has been broken."

"If you believe that you can change things … why aren't you acting already? Do you enjoy seeing me suffer, Roy? Do you like the way I can hardly look at you because … because it reminds me of what could have been mine if I had been a little luckier?"

"To answer you question, no, I actually hate to see you this despaired and unhappy. I also don't believe that you are as unlucky as you think yourself to be. You and your friends managed to fight Scar off – I was lucky that he decided that the collateral damage would be too high if he kept fighting," he replies slowly as he closes his eyes. "Indeed, we are too much like each other – to the point that your thoughts are mine and the other way around. But in any case … you cannot let go of your dreams already. Once I reached the top, I will set your soul free. You are the kind of responsible adviser I will need once I reached the top. Will you bite back your pain till then?"

"Do you promise that we will break the mirror between us till then?" she asks back.

"Consider it shattered into thousand little pieces already."

"In this case, I will follow you a little longer … but if you break the promise, I will be merciless."

"Have you ever been anything else in your fights, Jade?" he asks.


End file.
